Thursday, August 11, 2011

The low point for the Giants

If you are a Giants fan you better HOPE this is the low point.

On July 28th, the Defending World Champions took 2 of 3 from the Phillies IN Philadelphia. They opened up a 4 game lead on the Diamondbacks, who were a nice story but let's face it, didn't have the legs to contend deep in the season.

The Giants added Carlos Beltran and the West was all but clinched.

Since then? The Giants have lost 10 of 13 games including 2 to the Pirates who couldn't beat a Tee Ball team in the last few weeks.

The Diamondbacks haven't exactly been world beaters. They have gone 7-5, right around the same winning pace that I would have expected.

But here we sit... in Mid August... and the Diamondbacks are in first place and the Giants are out of the playoff picture.

Indeed if the Playoffs Started Today... the Phillies and Diamondbacks would match up and the Brewers would have home field over the Braves.

In the promos for the Showtime series about the Giants, there is a clip of Brian Wilson on the golf course saying "Mark it down. Repeat."

Ironically if the playoffs started now, that's what the Giants would be doing... playing golf.

And the Diamondbacks don't have to do this for the long haul. They have 45 games left. A team get get hot in a 45 game spurt. When a team is in first place all by themselves with 45 left, then guess what? They are a legit contender.

Now if you have no dog in the fight, you might think that rooting for the Diamondbacks is the right thing to do. A low budget club with lots of young talent is what people should want in the post season.

But, as I said in one of the Sully Baseball videos, the Giants have a unique opportunity to become one of the true marquee franchises in baseball. A fun, more relaxed alternative to the rough and not so friendly Red Sox and Yankees domination. And it would be a shame to see them be a one year wonder.

The Giants have the day off and the Diamondbacks are playing the minor league team that plays in Houston. So in all probability, the Giants will start Friday's game in Florida a full game back.